• Swindon & Wiltshire Tech
• Wednesday February 25 2026

West firm picked by Google for gov tech showcase

The first AI-powered health staffing marketplace created by social care professionals has been selected by Google to take part in a showcase to support ‘gov tech’ companies in the sustainability and healthcare sectors.

Wiltshire- and Somerset-based AgoraStaff will join a cohort of 30 startups operating at scale or at product ‘fit’ stage – 87 per cent of the group having already reached advanced levels of maturity.

The teams work with Google, beginning in February and focussing on operational efficiency and transformation.

Collectively, the companies have secured more than £336 million in funding and all use Google Cloud Platform as a core component of their strategy.

AgoraStaff’s inclusion reflects growing recognition of the urgent need for innovation within social care.

Each company will be pitching their innovative technology on Monday February 9 to an audience of venture capitalists, senior government officials, Google executives and industry leaders to secure investment, network, build relationships and educate the audience on the most promising companies in the UK as selected by Google.

AgoraStaff was founded to address rising costs, staff shortages and inefficiencies across the care sector.

The app connects care homes, local authorities and other providers directly with vetted, trained and compliant carers reducing reliance on traditional agencies that often take significant fees while offering carers little control.

“Being selected by Google validates both the problem we are solving and the way we are solving it,” said Richard Williams-Pears, CEO.

“Social care is under enormous pressure and too much money is lost to inefficiency. By using AI and modern Cloud infrastructure, we are cutting out unnecessary middle layers so more funding stays with carers and providers.”

The platform was the idea of Richard, who was a longstanding Cornwall councillor and former mayor of St Austell. He witnessed firsthand in his elected local government role the strain on social care budgets at first hand.

He was joined in Agorastaff by his wife Jolene Williams-Pears, director of outstanding compliance, with extensive experience in operating theatres, and Janet Shreeve, director of business development, who runs Shreeve Care Services in Wiltshire and brings frontline sector knowledge with more than 25 years’ experience in social care.

“Carers deserve flexibility, fairness and respect for their professionalism,” said Janet Shreeve. “Our marketplace gives them control over the shifts they work while ensuring providers can access skilled, vetted staff when they need them. Being part of a Google-selected cohort shows that social care innovation is finally being taken more seriously at a national and global level.”

AgoraStaff was also developed in partnership with technology specialists Ben Grave and Simon Wetherell, creators of the UK’s leading asbestos management system. The app uses AI to match carers and providers quickly and efficiently, while maintaining strict compliance and quality standards.

Care providers can access AgoraStaff initially free of charge and will then pay just five per cent of the agreed daily shift fee to the company. Carers join free of charge once vetting and training requirements are met.

The platform has been launched in Wiltshire, Somerset and surrounding counties, with further regional expansion planned.